Trivia
By the book: Only now does Giles admit that there is a Slayer's Handbook, once Kendra mentions it - despite having told Buffy that there's no such thing in Never Kill a Boy on the First Date. He still doesn't hand it over though, as after meeting Buffy he realised the handbook would be "of no use in her case."
Pink Power: "Back off, Pink Ranger," says Buffy to Kendra, referring of course to the girly one out of the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. It's also a Buffy crew in-joke, as Buffy's stunt double Sophia Crawford also acted as Pink Ranger actress Amy Jo Johnson's stunt stand-in.
Other colours of Power Ranger were blue, white, red, black, yellow and titanium. Yes, alright, that's a metal, not a colour.
Burning ambition: All Oz wants out of life is to play an E flat diminished ninth chord. According to him, testing well is "cool. Except that it leads to jobs." He's a wildman of rock and no mistake.
Xander "Lennon" Harris: On seeing a picture of the insectiod Order of Taraka assassin, Xander misquotes John Lennon's I am the Walrus as "I am the bug man, coo coo cha coo." The original actually goes "I am the egg man, they are the eggmen, I am the walrus, goo goo j'goob." Later lyrics include a background chorus of "oompa loompa stick it up your jumper."
Monkey magic: Oz's line about the Animal Crackers monkey, "I mock you with my monkey pants," was inspired by one of Alyson Hannigan's dreams. She told Joss Whedon that she'd dreamt Seth Green saying it, and he decided to use it.
Brat Pack: "After all of this is over, I'm thinking pineapple pizza and teen video movie fest. Possibly something from the Ringwald oeuvre." says Buffy. Star of many 80s teen movies like Pretty in Pink and the Breakfast Club, Molly Ringwald's latest film is titled, ironically, Not Another Teen Movie.
In third place: The final assassin from the Order of Taraka is Patrice, the policewoman. She was played by Spice Williams, but for some reason didn't make it onto the credits.
Oh no, not again: Half-pint perennial victim Jonathan falls into danger once again, when he's grabbed by Patrice as a hostage.
For a small place... : Sunnydale has no less than forty-three churches, an amount that even to Giles "seems excessive." Mind you, sitting on a Hellmouth like that, it's no wonder people are packing the pews. Of course, after Buffy's finished with Spike, there are only forty-two.
Burnt by an old flame: Angel's comments to Spike about Drusilla's appetites might just be meant to provoke him into killing him before the ritual, but they have the ring of truth about them. Just how close was he to Dru back when he was Angelus?
Literature 101: Spike calls Buffy "Rebecca of Sunnyhell Farm", a reference to a 1903 children's book Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm about cheerful, adventurous farmgirl Rebecca. It was made into a movie starring Shirley Temple in 1938. Hmmm, never really thought of Buffy as the ringlets type.
Demon of the week: The key to restoring Drusilla is the blood of her sire, Angel, and the invocation of Eligor. He's a demon who's not only the "Bringer of war, poisoners, pariahs, grand obscenity" but also the "wretched master of decay." Not someone you want to run into down a dark alley.
In-flight "entertainment": Buffy warns Kendra not to watch the in-flight movie if it's got Chevvy Chase in it. Possibly a reference to Sarah Michelle Gellar's 1988 uncredited cameo in the Chase film Funny Farm?
Vamp-dusting virgins: Willow kills a vampire for the first time in this episode. It's also the first time we actually see Giles dust one, but who's to say he hasn't done his fair share of demon destruction before arriving in Sunnydale?
